Despite funeral costs hitting £4,285 in the UK, one woman has explained how she was able to more than half this cost at an extremely difficult point in her life.
Gaynor Eccles, 72, paid just £1,395 for her brother’s funeral amid rising costs.
The “cost of dying” in Britain has hit a record high, with the average price of a simple funeral reaching £4,285, according data from SunLife’s Cost of Dying report.
They found a 3.5 per cent increase in prices from last year, continuing a trend of rising funeral expenses across the UK.
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Maxime Rashid and her late father
SUNLIFE
Overall, the total “cost of dying”, which includes funeral expenses, send-off costs and probate fees, has climbed to an unprecedented £9,797. This marks the highest figure ever recorded in the report’s 21-year history, reflecting the ongoing cost of living crisis.
However there is another option; a direct cremation, which is an unattended cremation where the ashes are returned to the family.
According to SunLife, they cost less than half the price of a standard funeral – £1,597 on average, despite a 6.6 per cent annual rise – and now make up a fifth (20 per cent) of all funerals, up from just three per cent in 2019, 14 per cent in 2020 and 18 per cent in 2021.
Gaynor Eccles, 72 chose direct cremation through Pure Cremation for her brother, who passed age 72. She paid just £1,395.
Her brother had discussed having a Pure Cremation, but never paid. It was left to her and she chose the “cheapest, simplest option.”
Maxime Rashid, 59, also organised a direct cremation for her dad – Robert (Doc) Doherty – who passed away aged 86.
She said: “He wanted a Pure Cremation as he wasn’t religious in any way and didn’t want a fuss, so this was perfect for him. We are going to have a celebration of his life on his birthday next year, 22nd June.
“I don’t think it matters when you do it, but for us we wanted to wait for a special day. My dad’s ashes were brought back to his home which he shared with his wife.
“There was a knock on the door and respectfully he was brought in and placed down , with an acknowledgement and some very kind words.
“The funeral itself cost £1,645. Much cheaper than a standard funeral. No fuss, no waiting around no stress for anyone. It was all taken care of. I would definitely recommend and am considering it for myself
“I feel that I can at least make life a bit easier on my family when I do pass away by organising a direct cremation.
“When your heart is breaking and you have no idea what to do next, Pure Cremation for us was like someone holding out a hand To hold on to and reassuring us that it will all be ok. And it was.”
The rise in costs has significantly outpaced inflation over the past two decades. In 2004, when SunLife began tracking funeral expenses, a simple funeral cost £1,835. Had prices followed the standard inflation rate, today’s average cost would be £3,211.
Instead, funeral costs have soared by 134 per cent over the past 21 years, rising from under £2,000 to more than £4,000. The overall cost of dying has seen a more modest increase of 1.4 per cent compared to last year, partly due to a decrease in average probate costs of nearly £100.
This reduction in probate fees likely reflects variations in estate sizes rather than lower professional charges. London remains the most expensive place in the UK for funerals, with costs averaging £5,449 in the capital.
According to SunLife, this represents a 5.4 per cent increase from the previous year and is 27 per cent higher than the national average.
